Staying Rooted and Not Provoking Anger!

As I finished a book this morning, the author referenced two verses that I want to share with you. They both convicted me on my attitude. As you read them for yourself, please think about the impact they can have on your life (especially if you have kids).

The first verse I want to share is from Colossians chapter 2 verses 6-8. They say," Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." I added the bold print within these verses. I wanted to bring this statement to your attention. It says that we need to be rooted in Christ. This means that we need to be rooted in the Word, or the Bible. I find that if I do not take the time every morning to read from my Bible, my day does not run the smoothest. This is because my attitude is lacking. If I don't "root" myself in the Word, I can be blown over by even the slightest of wind (distractions and problems).

The second verse I want to share with you comes from Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4. It reads, " Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (bold print was added by me again) As parents, we are entrusted with the minds, feelings and bodies of tender, mold-able children. Do not provoke your children to anger! Man, that is a pretty strong statement. Notice that as a father (mothers can be included also, but the Bible states that men are the head of their household), we need to make sure our attitude will not cause our children to become angered. The word discipline here means the shaping of the will through training. The word instructions means the shaping of the mind through teaching. Both words are based on "shaping." Again, this is because children are very mold-able. The best teaching is done through example. Are we being a good example of how to shape our will through training? Are we being a good example of how to shape our mind through teaching (or learning)? Are we disciplining and instructing ourselves of the Lord so that our children witness this and can start to follow our positive example?

I know this was a long post today, but I felt led to share this with you. More so, I believe I was led to write this to help make me more accountable to my actions and my raising of my children. But I am sure there is someone who will read this and receive the same urging as I did to make some changes to their life to positively impact their children's lives. Have a blessed day!